Photographic film processing interval timing device

ABSTRACT

This disclosure is drawn to a timing device having an entrance station, an exit station and a plurality of movable compartments for conveying exposed film being developed between said stations for a predetermined timed interval.

0 United States Patent 1 1 1111 3,739,489 Macone June 19, 1973 [54] PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM PROCESSING 1,319,077 10 1919 Hickcox 198/134 NTERVAL TIMING DEVICE 1,558,835 10/1925 Cathcart 34/150 X 1,577,592 3/1926 Robertson et a]. 221/15 Inventor: Frederick W-Ma0ne,Carl1sle, 2,111,730 3/1938 Rabens et 198/209 x Mass. 2,207,179 7/1940 Schreiber 198/209 X 1,319,077 10/1919 l-lickcox 34/150 UX [73] Assgnw lncm'pnmed Mass- 2,267,802 12/1941 Purdy 287/103 [221 Film 1971 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [21] Appl. No.: 170,357 994,304 6/1965 Great Britain 198/209 551,647 6/1932 Germany 93/74 Relmd APPIMM 994,304 6/1965 Great Britain 198/209 [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 764,772, Oct. 3, 1968,

abandoned Primary ExaminerJohn .1. Camby Assistant Examiner-Larry I. Schwartz [52] US. Cl. 34/109, 34/150, 34/184, Atmmey Robert L. Nathans 198/209 [51] Int. Cl......'. F26b 11/02 [58] Field of Search 34/53, 109, 150, [57] ABSTRACT 34/160, 184, 187; 198/209; 126/338; 221/15 This disclosure is drawn to a timing device having an entrance station, an exit station and a plurality of mov- 5 R f r Cited able compartments for conveying exposed film being UNITED STATES PATENTS developed between said stations for a predetermined tlmed interval. 1,786,142 12/1930 Wyman 263/7 UX 1,888,573 11/1932 Sadwith 34/150 X 4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures DRIVE MEANS 4 MEI 1 0F 2 ENTRANCE STATIO/Vlx FREDER/CKWMACO/VE 1N VENTOR.

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ATTORNEY.

PHOTOGRAPIIIC FILM PROCESSING INTERVAL TIMING DEVICE This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 764,772, filed Oct. 3, 1968, and which is now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION One phase of the process of producing laminated identification cards, badges or the like often involves sequentially photographing numerous individuals to be identified with Polaroid brand film. Often a high required processing rate will make it impractical for the operator to' remove the film from the camera, retain it, generally in hand, and count the 60 second timing interval required before the positive is peeled away from the negative. It is also. difficult to simultaneously time a multiplicity of photographs each with a different starting time. It is thus desirable to provide a processing interval timer which may be utilized in conjunction with one or morecameras producing photos at a rapid rate, which automates this timing process to free the operators from this chore and produces greatertiming interval accuracy while increasing the production rate.

One such prior art timing device utilizes a moving belt which receives film at one portion of the device and which conveys thefilm to another portion at the end of the processing interval. where the presenceof the film is detected by a transducer such as a photocell or tripping switch to in turn produce an audible or visual signal which directs the operator to peel off the positive from the negative. Should the operator place the film upon the belt at different positionswith respect.

to the longitudinal axis of the belt, the timing interval will vary. Thus it is desirable to produce a mandatory input reference point. The capacity of thebelt leavesmuch to be desired as it typically transports a maximum of only. four photos at one time. As film istransporteda by the belt the film will occasionally pile up against a side wall to produce jamming of the machine. Additionally the film exudes viscous processing chemicals which must be removed from the belt with some difficulty. The use of a photocell or film actuated electromechanical switch for detecting film at the exit station tends to render the system unduly complex and reduces.

reliability.

SUMMARY OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a plurality of planar vertically oriented vanes forming movable compartments are mounted upon a vertical drive shaft which is driven by. a synchronous motor through a clutch. A horizontal filmsupport platform is positioned beneaththe vanes and is separated therefrom. An envelope or case having a first cutout portion at the entrance station and a second cutout radially by elimination of the compressing housing sidewalls to produce a visual and audible signal to inform the operator that the film has arrived at the exit station. Shortly thereafter the film drops through a cutout portion in the horizontal platform and the positive is peeled from the negative by the operator. The compartment adjacent the first cutout portion at the entrance station thus produces the desired positive referencing point which in turn produces an accurate, unvarying timing interval. The sudden release of the resilient film flap at the exit station eliminates the aforesaid tripping switch or photocell. The aforementioned jamming is generally avoided as the film is separated by the individual compartments and thus is not given the opportunity to pile up at a particular point in the device. Since the vertically oriented film is walked through the device on its lower edge, frictional drag is thought to be reduced while the presence of any viscous processing fiuid due to film pack leakage tends to have less of adetrimental effect since the major faces of the film do not contact the horizontal platform. Other features such as the specially formed cutout at the entrance station and the inclusion of a drier will be explained hereinafter.

The following description is to be read in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded view of the overall timing interval device;

FIG. 2 illustrates a view viewed from the rear of FIG.

FIG. 3 illustrates a detail of the drive mechanism; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective of the device after assembly.

A large plurality of vanes 1 are attached to a drive shaft member 2 and radially emanate therefrom as il- Iustratedi The bottom portion of drive shaft 2 is mechanically coupled to a coupling member 3 which in turn isdriven by any conventional drive means 4 which includes a synchronous motor which accurately produces uniform angular velocity of vane members 1. While coupling member 3 could be any conventional device, the member preferably takes the form illustrated in FIG. 3. A male stud4 is positioned within member 6. Horizontally oriented pin members 7 and 7 are fitted within grooves 8 and 8 at the lowermost portion of 'the vane drive shaft. With this arrangement the vane assembly may readily be seated upon drive coupling member 3 and yet may be readily removed for upon member 3, envelope or casing9 is positioned as shown in FIG. 4 and machine screws 11 and 12 affix the casing to the device as shown in FIG. 4. The bottom portions 13 of the vane members are now separated from but are positioned adjacent the horizontal platform 14 so that each pair of moving vane members forms a compartment for transporting substantially vertically oriented film being processed from entrance station 16 to exit station 17 shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. FIG. 2 more clearly illustrates the first casing cutout portion at entrance station 16.

Let it be assumed that the POLAlRlOD-LAND film requires 60 seconds before separation of the positive from the negative after the film is pulled out of the identification camera. Under these circumstances the speed of the synchronousmotor issuch that film inserted at the entrance station will be released at the exit station in 60 seconds. Of course, ifa 20 second interval cleaning purposes. After the vane assembly is seated is called for the vane drive shaft speed may be tripled. The elongated cutout 18 shown in FIG. 2 readily provides for the insertion of the film between a given pair of slowly moving vanes adjacent cutout l8. Diagonal portion 19 functions to straighten any film which might have been inserted with its top edge in a generally nonhorizontal position. The aforementioned film will generally have an elongated flap which is utilized to pull the film from the camera, which flap will be deflected by edge 21 of the first cutout portion 16. This resilient flap will be dragged around the inside wall of the easing. Sufficient clearance between the outermost por' tions of the vanes and the inside wall of the casings is provided to physically accommodate the deflected flap. For more resilient paper this clearance may be increased. Upon arrival at edge 22 of the second cutout portion of exit station 17 the resilient flap will be abruptly released thereby to produce an audible signal which informs the operator that the film will shortly be released at the exit station. Since the flap extends from the casing of the device, at this time the flap also functions as a visual signal or flag. The particular vane driving the film will transport the film to the cutout portion 23 formed within horizontally oriented platform 14 where it will drop out of the device. The time interval between the production of the audible-visual signal and drop out could be, for example, five seconds in the case of a 60-second timing interval. Preferably, immediately upon drop out the operator would peel the positive sheet from the negative sheet.

It should now be apparent that the employment of the aforesaid structure provides for accurate timing of the processing step for a considerable number of photographs which are moving through the device. A photo identification slip may readily be inserted into a given pair of vanes if desired to further facilitate processing. Since each substantially vertically oriented photograph is inserted into its individual moving compartment formed by a pair of vanes, it should be appreciated that the aforementioned pile up or jamming of film is avoided. Also it is thought that since the vertically oriented film is walked through the device, sticking of one film to the other due to leakage of processing chemicals is eliminated, which sticking could also cause the aforementioned pile ups. Some advantage might accrue if the surface of the horizontally oriented platform 14 is corrugated in the manner of a washboard to produce further artificial jogging of the film walked" through the device.

The return path between exit station 17 and entrance station 16 is readily put to advantage by providing means at the return path for drying positive prints. Such drying facilitates later lamination of the positive print. The print would be inserted at dryer entrance station 26 which is similar to entrance station 16 described hereinabove. A plurality of vents 27 and 27 provide for the flow of warm air upward as indicated by the arrows shown in FIG. 1. The vents would coact with a warm air blower unit 28 positioned below horizontal platform 14 as illustrated in FIG. 1. After the prints are dried by virtue of being walked" over vents 27 they drop out of the device at cutout 29 formed within platform 14. Warm air exhaust vents 31 and 32 are formed within envelope 9 and are positioned adjacent vertically oriented support elements 33 and 34 mounted upon the envelope as shown in FIG. 2. Additional drying of prints may be facilitated by positioning the film 'vane members described hereinabove. Likewise it is conceivable that the horizontally oriented platform could be eliminated in favor of individual horizontally oriented flap members positioned at the lowermost portion of the vanes, which flap members could be tripped at the exit stations to release the film. However, such an arrangement is considerably more complex and more subject to mechanical failure. The preferred embodiment is virtually breakdown proof and may be rapidly disassembled for cleaning by an unskilled operator.

I claim:

1. A photographic film processing interval timing device comprising:

a vertically oriented drive shaft having a plurality of vertically oriented wall members affixed to said drive shaft and radially emanating therefrom;

a unitary nonmovable horizontal film support platform positioned adjacent the bottom portions of said vertically oriented wall members for directly contacting and supporting the edges of vertically oriented film as said film is walked through the timing device by the pushing action of said wall mem bers;

drive means for rotating said drive shaft at a predetermined angular velocity;

a decoupler coupled between said drive means and said drive shaft for driving said wall members and for facilitating rapid decoupling of the wall members and the drive shaft as a unit from said drive means to enable effective cleaning of said horizontal platform;

an envelope substantially surrounding said wall members having a first cutout portion forming an entrance station for enabling an operator to insert film into the compartments formed by a pair of said wall members;

said envelope having a second cutout portion forming an exit station for retrieving film which has been walked through said timing device; and

means for positioning said exit station at a widely separated location with respect to said entrance station to alleviate operator confusion between film which has already passed through the device and film which is to be inserted into the device.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 whereby, the inside surface of said envelope being positioned at a sufficient distance from said wall members to cause a flap associated with inserted film and extending beyond said first cutout portion of said envelope to be deflected by said envelope and dragged within the space between the inside wall of the envelope and said wall members until it arrives at said second cutout portion which provides for the abrupt release of the flap thereby to produce an audible and visual signal that film has reached and said exit station, said distance between the inside of said envelope and said wall members being large enough to accommodate said flap and small enough to mechanically bias said flap against said envelope.

3. A photographic film processing interval timing device including an entrance station and an exit station comprising:

a plurality of movable compartments for containing photographic film to be transported between said entrance station and said exit station, said movable compartments further comprising a plurality of wall members having film pushing surface portions for propelling said film by pushing against said film to walk it through the device, each of said pushing surface portions being planar;

drive means for driving said film pushing surface portions of said wall members against said film at a predetermined angular velocity and for causing said plurality of wall members to traverse a given path between said entrance station and said exit station in a predetermined processing interval;

a horizontally oriented platform positioned beneath said movable compartments and adjacent thereto to support said film between said wall members; and

film orienting means positioned at said entrance station for pushing non-horizontally oriented film downward against said platform as said film is driven by said wall members passed said film orienting means, said film orienting means having an elongated portion forming an acute angle with respect to the surface of said horizontally oriented platform.

4. A photographic film processing interval timing device including an entrance station and an exit station comprising:

a plurality of movable compartments for containing photographic film to be transported between said entrance station and said exit station, said movable compartments further comprising a plurality of wall members having film pushing surface portions for propelling said film by pushing against said film to walk it through the device, each of said pushing surface portions being planar;

drive means for driving said film pushing surface portions of said wall members against said film at a predetermined angular velocity and for causing said plurality of wall members to traverse a first path between said entrance station and said exit station in a predetermined processing interval and for pushing said film over a second return path between said exit station and said entrance station; and

drier means situated adjacent said second return path for blowing air into said movable compartments traversing said second return path and further including a horizontally oriented platform positioned beneath said movable compartments, and said drier means further including air blower means coacting with at least one vent hole formed within said platform, said vent hole being situated adjacent said second return path. 

1. A photographic film processing interval timing device comprising: a vertically oriented drive shaft having a plurality of vertically oriented wall members affixed to said drive shaft and radially emanating therefrom; a unitary nonmovable horizontal film support platform positioned adjacent the bottom portions of said vertically oriented wall members for directly contacting and supporting the edges of vertically oriented film as said film is walked through the timing device by the pushing action of said wall members; drive means for rotating said drive shaft at a predetermined angular velocity; a decoupler coupled between said drive means and said drive shaft for driving said wall members and for facilitating rapid decoupling of the wall members and the drive shaft as a unit from said drive means to enable effective cleaning of said horizontal platform; an envelope substantially surrounding said wall members having a first cutout portion forming an entrance station for enabling an operator to insert film into the compartments formed by a pair of said wall members; said envelope having a second cutout portion forming an exit station for retrieving film which has been walked through said timing device; and means for positioning said exit station at a widely separated location with respect to said entrance station to alleviate operator confusion between film which has already passed through the device and film which is to be inserted into the device.
 2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 whereby, the inside surface of said envelope being positioned at a sufficient distance from said wall members to cause a flap associated with inserted film and extending beyond said first cutout portion of said envelope to be deflected by said envelope and dragged within the space between the inside wall of the envelope and said wall members until it arrives at said second cutout portion which provides for the abrupt release of the flap thereby to produce an audible and visual signal that film has reached and said exit station, said distance between the inside of said envelope and said wall members being large enough to accommodate said flap and small enough to mechanically bias said flap against said envelope.
 3. A photographic film processing interval timing device including an entrance station and an exit station comprising: a plurality of movable compartments for containing photographic film to be transported between said entrance station and said exit station, said movable compartments further comprising a plurality of wall members having film pushing surface portions for propelling said film by pushing against said film to walk it through the device, each of said pushing surface portions being planar; drive means for driving said film pushing surface portions of said wall members against said film at a predetermined angular velocity and for causing said plurality of wall members to traverse a given path between said entrance station and said exit station in a predetermined processing interval; a horizontally oriented platform positioned beneath said movable compartments and adjacent thereto to support said film between said wall members; and film orienting means positioned at said entrance station for pushing non-horizontally oriented film downward against said platform as said film is driven by said wall members passed said film orienting means, said film orienting means having an elongated portion forming an acute angle with respect to the surface of said horizontally oriented platform.
 4. A photOgraphic film processing interval timing device including an entrance station and an exit station comprising: a plurality of movable compartments for containing photographic film to be transported between said entrance station and said exit station, said movable compartments further comprising a plurality of wall members having film pushing surface portions for propelling said film by pushing against said film to walk it through the device, each of said pushing surface portions being planar; drive means for driving said film pushing surface portions of said wall members against said film at a predetermined angular velocity and for causing said plurality of wall members to traverse a first path between said entrance station and said exit station in a predetermined processing interval and for pushing said film over a second return path between said exit station and said entrance station; and drier means situated adjacent said second return path for blowing air into said movable compartments traversing said second return path and further including a horizontally oriented platform positioned beneath said movable compartments, and said drier means further including air blower means coacting with at least one vent hole formed within said platform, said vent hole being situated adjacent said second return path. 